Pact with the Devil
by Synthology
Summary: Love is like making a pact with the King of Hell himself: He'll give you anything you want, but in the end you belong to him with all the pain that comes along with it. warning: Morbid-Happy Tifa x Zack
1. Chapter 1

**Hello...I know I should be updating for my story Ashes, but I can't get this story concept out of my head. Hehe. **

**I do not own any of the characters from FFVII, but SQUARE ENIX does. Meh. Just go on and read and let me know if this story has potential.**

**Tifa x ?**

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**Chapter 1**

**The Dead Move On**

I feel such a terrible deep hollow feeling in my chest cavity; Too vast to hide. One could get lost in this feeling, but I have gotten a good grip on myself since I have realized this. I can't let the black hole of emptiness take everything away and leave me without strength in a world that doesn't accept the weak.

He was afraid to hurt me so he left only to be found months later submerged in the same lake they had buried _her. _Beautiful how the the world worked these days and the people in it. I loved him...loved him with everything I had. It's not the same without him. They didn't even touch him at the bottom of that lake...we all felt it would be wrong to take him away from her. I lost to the dead...and love.

Hah! Let me tell you about love. It's a slower form of suicide; It's when you make a pact with the Devil himself, and oh, he'll give you anything you want, but in the end you belong to him and all the pain that comes along with it. So like a fool, I took the Devil's bait and here I am now, drifting among the emptiness razed in pain.

In my state of hell, I was deemed as unstable to watch over the children I had custody of. Barret took them back with him to Corel for my own good and thier's. Maybe he had a good point. Maybe he's right. The children didn't need to see me laying there in my bed staring at the ceiling as the minutes, the hours, the days flew by. It was unfair to them. Look at what I've become though: My body has lost it's golden glow and I resemble a pale corpse. My hair just lays there limp, lifeless, just like my eyes.

Everyone came to console me, but they all left but one: Nanaki. He insists that I leave Edge and move to Cosmo Canyon with him. I told him several times that he didn't need to stay here on my account. they should have just left me to my own demise, but this beast was too stubborn. Nanaki never strayed when I got sick even when I hallucinated...I saw _him_. We spoke all the time. Nanaki must have thought that I was really losing it...haha. Speaking to the dead, what a cliche concept.

Most of our conversations were short though, but he was always there keeping me alive in my time of illness. Why bother I asked him one day and he said it was because I had so much more to live for. Haha. There was nothing left here for me if _he_ wasn't here with me. So here I am, on Sierra flyng swiftly over the mountains, hills, and plains below toward Cosmo Canyon. Suddenly I saw the cliff side where Cosmo Canyon resided, but the sight really didn't stir me at all. I still feel hollow on the inside. I still feel lifeless, and perhaps...it's better this way.

**-X-**

"Tifa, we've arrived." Nanaki said as he walked up to the lone brunette. She stood staring out at the scenery as the airship began it's descent, a gray blanket lying limp around her shoulders.

"I'll have one of Cid's trainee's get your stuff and then we'll be on our way." the beast said as he sat down beside her. Even sitting on his haunches he was level with her waist, maybe a little more. Tifa only blinked, her pale but beautiful lips parted slightly as she continued to stare out into the outside world.

"Well I'll be damned." Cid began as he snubbed his ciggarette out, "So this is where you will be staying from now on." he said more in confirmation then question. He raked his calloused hands through his short blonde hair and sighed when even he couldn't get a reaction from Tifa. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to look at him causing Cid dropped his hand. She looked too lifeless. So unlike the woman they had grown to know and love years past. Turning around he shouted for one of the crew to gather Tifa's belongings and make thier way into the village.

Tifa stared about her and she noticed that the light of the villiage, the large flame still burned strongly at the heart of Cosmo Canyon. So many memories overwealmed her mind that she automatically walked over to sit in front of the burning flames. Nanaki hesitated wanting to go to her but decided against it, leaving one of the crew men to stay behind towatch her in case anything happened. Everyone else made thier way up into Nanaki's abode and began to settle Tifa's belongings into the spare bedroom.

"Think there's anything we can do?" Cid asked as he placed one bag at the base of the twin size bed.

"I do not know. She seems to be in a sort of state...locked within her own spirit." Nanaki explained as he went over to the large bay window and looked down below at the subject of thier topic.

"You mean cuz of ol' spike?" Cid said as he mimicked Nanaki's movements and watched the woman below.

"Yes. The loss of him has caused her to shut down completely. Like she is dead to the world, her soul is locked away...almost gone one might say. This is what is left of her." the lion sighed.

"There must be somethin' we can do." the pilot muttered.

"I don't know, but I have a few tricks I would like to try to bring her around. Otherwise I'll just keep searching until I find something that can bring her back to her normal sense of mind." he replied and frowned, "I must admit, I hate seeing her this way."

"Makes two of us ol' boy. Makes two of us." Cid said and patted his friends back and walked out the door.

**-X-**

The flames licked the very air that surrounded and fueled it's calming rage and among the flames she saw him once more. He smiled at her sadly like he always did.

"Why." she whispered.

_'I don't know.'_

"You never did."

_'You need to stop this.'_

"Stop what?" she muttered quietly.

At this time, Cid had walked up behind her but stopped when he heard her muttering incoherently, he strained his sense of hearing and listened:

_'You can't do this. Don't lock yourself away. Come back to life.'_

"No Cloud. I can't let go. If I do, I'll be in far worse pain then I am now."

_'Tifa.'_

"Tifa?" Cid inquired in worry. Her mumbling with herself stopped and she sat still.

"Umm, I'll be leavin' an' if you need anythin' please let us know. All right?" the captain asked as he came around to face her. Tifa only sat there still as a statue, but she did look at him and that was all he needed to confirm that she heard him. Regretfully sighing for the third time that day, he strode back down the stone stairway, waving the man who was watching Tifa to follow suit to where Seirra was docked.

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**So what do you guys think? There will be more. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I would like to thank the few who have taken time to review this story and also I would like to announce that I have gone over mistakes in the last chapter. As we can clearly see here, we are dealing with Tifa going through a tradgedy and of course love will come later on. I am not willing to reveal that yet, so please be patient. I would also like to highlight that the feelings described are my own through Tifa's eyes. Enjoy.**

**Cerberus: I wasn't going to make a CloTi fic...but someone totally unexpected. I'll either change my original pairing or stay with the first plan. Don't know yet, unless you want me to write one up seperately for you? I have a few of them up in my head, so let me know.**

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**Chapter 2**

**To Take Back What's His.**

He wants me back. The deal I made, the love I craved and needed...it's all over. Cloud is gone and and the King of Hell wants what is his and now I belong to him. The snow outside is tempting. The months I had resided in Cosmo Canyon changed from summer into a cold bitter winter and here I was devoid of anything meaningful. Why. I'm locked within myself. There is nothing left for me on this planet despite all the battles I have fought with him by my side. What's the use anymore..._he's_ gone. But where is this ache I felt before I fell? Did it really turn into this desolate hollow feeling inside of me? My mentality is failing me as well and it seems that my time has come.

The need for food is gone, but Nanaki stubbornly shoves it down my throat. His optimism always cheerful, but to no effect. I'm too far gone...too lost within to find my way back to the world and I don't even want to go back. I'm here and not here. I just want out, but I want to go the other way. I want to follow _him_.

So I did. I'm standing, the blanket my body had grown accustomed too falling slowly to the snow surrounding me. My bare legs, feet, and arms exposed to winter's bitter chill, while my head is bent back looking up at the dark pink clouded night sky that let its' snowflakes descend down upon me. The temperature suddenly drops but I know this because my body delivers the message slowly like a messenger from one nation to the other. _I don't care_.

I didn't know when I fell...but I laid there in the snow, my eyes looking blankly up at the clouded night sky as the chill wind turned my already pale skin a frosty blue. Hours passed, and I believe that if given a few more I would have looked like Shiva herself. My breaths came short. The little puffs flowing so slow in my line of sight that I saw _him_ again. _He_ smiled sadly.

_'You can't come here Tifa.'_

"Why" I uttered inaudibly while his face turned slightly angry.

_'You just can't...you're not wanted here yet.'_

My eyes closed slowly and I smiled mentally, "Then I have no where else to go but to cease all together in spirit and mind."

_'No.'_

I ignored his voice...maybe I really was hallucinating and none of this was real. I was just tired...so exhausted and sleepy. My body began to shut down starting with my nerves rendering my body useless. My fingers grew stiff, while my wrists and the rest of my body followed. My chest moved mechanically taking in ragged shallow breaths, my little puffs of life floating merrily away and my eyes half way closed watching a face, his mouth yelling at me. My sense of hearing faded; all I could hear was the breaths that came in and out including my heart...it has been a while since I've heard that. It beat one strong deft beat after another with a slight pause in between, that pause steadily growing vast as the minutes ticked on by. My breathing became constricted; My vision was at last begining to fade but the last thing I saw was a beast looking down at me. It's blue eyes boring down into mine as my lips curled into a slight smile and that was the last frame of film that I remembered: Cloud.

-X-

She looked like the spitting image of the Ice Queen herself as she lay there, body blue as the morning skies in the northern continent and pale as the snow surrounding her. Aries help me, why did you let her fall apart this way? He picked up the limp woman while looking up at the village golden lights spewing from above thier very windows. The sudden sense of warmth. Especially for this girl he held lifelessly in his arms. The snow was too deep now, but he began his way to the stairway that climbed to the abode of this Canyon's lone protector: Nanaki.

As I entered the chamber the red lion had looked up at me, his eyes growing alarmed at seeing the lifeless woman I held in my grasp. He sped over ordering me to bring her into the spare bedroom and by the looks of it it seemed like it belonged to this woman. I took off the womans shirt and shorts and gently placed her blue naked body underneath the warm covers. Nanaki ran back in followed by the village healers, his tail fueling the flames in the fireplace and the firelight provided inside the room. One of the healers moved to close the bay window while the others began to work on the corpse laying in the divan.

A corpse. She was barely there, her spirit degenerating from the flow of life itself.

_'Do something!'_

_'What's there to do. Blame yourself.'_ he spat back as he watched the flow of colorful healing auras cast upon the body, hoping to revive what once was. Two women came in as well, some carrying sage leaves and herbs, while the other carrying hot tea with a water basin filled of steaming hot water.

"I would like to thank you for finding her when you did. She must have slipped out while I was in the labratory...how can we repay you?" the lion asked humbly.

"Just keep her alive." he quipped, his words laced in irritation. Nanaki frowned at his tone but nodded before adding,

"You can stay here if you'd like. We have more then enough room so please don't seem like you will be intruding." With that said, Nanaki padded across the room to the bed side, speaking with the healers. From the looks of it, they had managed to keep her stable and she would need lots of bed rest and food to keep her body nutritioned.

_'Keep her warm. She's your charge now.'_

He narrowed his eyes, '_Go away.'_

-X-

I figured that he would stand up to be a man and act like it. Settle down with his childhood sweetheart, but no, she wasn't enough for him, he wanted more. That fool was killing her with his stupid actions of the past. Those two were meant to live together, love one another, to settle down and have a family. Thier children were the reason the world would continue to prosper and live in the near future. But no, he had to up and leave all for the flower girl. Now what are we to do? The planet depended on thier union...sighing he stared up at the biege-pink ceiling.

So why am I here keeping her shivering body warm with my own? Nanaki had left hours ago and I stayed behind to watch over the sleeping woman. She began to shiver violently so he kept her warm by undressing and letting her body take his own heat. Sighing he watched her limp form next to him, her breathing reurning to normal. Sleep. The annoying tugging in his body began to become more irritating with time, for he was never gone this long from the promised land. Mortality. Sighing he closed his blue eyes and let slumber take over his conciousness.

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**I know they are short chapters, but they mainly consist of feelings, emotions, partial perspectives that I would like you readers to get across. These are sort of the same feelings, that I as the author am undergoing as well, so let me know what you think. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hopefully this chapter can be a little bit longer then the previous two. Enjoy.**

**I recommend going to: www (dot) vampirefreaks (dot) com and looking up Kazy: Choke song in the the Band selection category in the navigation. **

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**Chapter 3**

**Choke**

Many things should have had an effect on me in the past but what I couldn't comprehend was the light that pierced into my darkness. Why didn't I cease? Disperse? Why couldn't they let me go? With a twinge of pain I sobbed mentally and shivered fiercely while glancing around the vast emptiness and the light shining from above.

_'Go Away.'_

I curled away from the light and tightened myself into a ball, struggling to ignore the blinding light that penetrated from above. I just wanted it all to go away; to leave me alone.I was tired of fighting for the happiness I would never achieve or be rewarded with. It was all a lie. It doesn't exist and those that do, well they are blind and ignorant of the truth. I winced...or I thought I did.

_'I want to stay dead...leave me alone.'_

The light began to spread while color swirled in my line of vision. The white light formed into the color of tan and ash pink until I came to realize that the ceiling of my previous residence stared down upon me. The sun from outside played it's warm rays of light across the opposite wall and I couldn't help but blink slowly. I was back to square one. How did Nanaki find me? How? HOW?!

The fire that raged for a mere split second died as the dull lifeless color flooded back into my dark irises. I hate the sun, I hate these people, I hate this planet...why can't you just let me go. What's one woman? There are billions out there, so why keep me here against my will? Will. The only will I have left is my wish to cease breathing...

A warmth tickled my skin and my eyes shifted eerily to the source to find a face sleeping; its head resting on its muscular arm and dark hair resting sharply against the skin. I should have been shocked. I'm not. Maybe a little. I don't know. Curious? Slightly. Still, I don't know. He looked vaguely familiar. A groan escaped his throat but not his lips as he shifted underneath the covers against my body. Nude body. Skin against skin. Shocked yet? No. Barely. Slightly curious? Perhaps. I sat up in a slow mechanical movement, but I could feel the weakness drag my body down along with the long inaudible sigh that escaped my parched lips.

-X-

I opened my eyes to the slight change of air movement: a breath. She sat up right in a slouched position, her hair limp against her pale body, her spine protruding slightly to her unhealthy loss of wieght. I couldn't help but wonder why she was putting herself through this. Seriously. Why. All for some twat who left her for a fool's dream.

"Lay back down."

She didn't even move her head to indicate that she even heard him, her heavy breathing becoming more rough by the second. Suddenly she stood up and he watched her curiously as she lifelessly walked around the bed to the window.

"I said lay down." I began again, but the woman was deaf to my demands. I watched as her fingers nimbly unlatched the window, narrowing my eyes as the cold winter wind blew in. Within seconds I was at the window holding her away from the frame, before she made the foolish act of falling to her death. I knew it was her intention. Anyone in this state would have gone straight to suicide if thier first attempt failed. My left hand quickly closed the window and I looked down at her, her face looking straight at my chest. She just stood still like a porcelain doll...

"Well Ms. Porcelain Violence, I'm here to keep you alive as ordered. Nothing you can do or say, that is if you ever get out of the hell hole you have placed yourself in, will ever work. Back to bed." he stated irritantly.

-X-

I stared at a tan wall. It was this mans chest as he blocked me from my escape, but what really prodded at my lingering sense of feel was his cockiness:

_**"Well Ms. Porcelain Violence, I'm here to keep you alive as ordered. Nothing you can do or say, that is if you ever get out of the hell you have placed yourself in, will ever work. Back to bed."**_

What nerve. Curious? Not anymore. Slightly angered. Getting there. With swift motion he picked me up and gracefully placed me back int bed while placing the covers up to my neck.

"I'll be back with breakfast, stay here and don't think I don't know when you move. I do. I promise you. As quick as you try get out of bed, the quicker I will be here to keep you in bed."

I turned my head away staring at the bay window watching the snow fall once more outside and turning the light sky into a darker shade of gray.

"I'm warning you." he said as I heard him rustling to place his clothes back on.

_'Fuck you.'_

"No thank you Ms. Lockhart." he said and walked out the door. My eyes had shot open as I stared lifelessly at the window... _How?_

-X-

I walked down the stairs into the main chamber of Nanaki's abode and noticed the lion sitting with a bowl of steaming hot tea and a book, his paw flipping the pages deftly.

"Ahh good morning." he said, I presume you slept well?"

"Mhmm." I replied.

"Breakfast will be served soon, one of my dear friends will bring it right over. Now sit down and explain yourself."

I cocked an eyebrow as I took a seat next to the one foot table,

"Straight to the point."

"I try." he replied honestly as he lapped some of the hot tea.

"I guess you want to know who I am."

"That's a good start...but we thought you were dead." Red said as he looked up at the man who sat across from him.

"I'm not Cloud."

"Oh really? Maybe you hit your head and don't remember?" Red snapped.

"Look: I'm** not **Cloud. My name is Zack Forrester and I was brought back to keep Tifa alive at any cost." He explained. He gazed at the beast who seemed to soften up,

"The Zack who died saving Cloud from Hojo?" Red whispered.

"The one and only."

"But you were dead..."

"Keyword: Was dead." Zack replied sighing as he raked his hand through his long black spikey mane.

"When I was in SOLDIER, I was Sephiroth's right hand man and friend; the next General in Command during the Wutain Wars. I was a 1st Class while Cloud was just a regular squad soldier. Hojo, the insane mania that he was, expiramented on both of us to become like Sephiroth. I survived while Cloud was proclaimed a failure; One day I broke through and retrieved Cloud out of his containment cell and we made a run for it. Unfortunately I didn't make it and Cloud, being in the delirium he was in, began to think he was me. Don't get me wrong, because of that he became who he was in order to save the planet." Zack explained,

"I wandered the planet as a spirit; I was there when Meteor began to descend, was there when Sephiroth returned, and was there with Aerith as we healed the geostigma diseased population in Edge. Now I'm here on orders to help Tifa get through the shit Cloud placed her in. Fucking prick..." Zack stated as he gazed off into some invisible spot on the wall.

"Is there a way to bring Cloud back?" Nanaki inquired quietly.

"Where there's a will there's a way." Zack replied, "But we can't begin to try until we get Tifa back onto her feet..." Zack paused and narrowed his eyes, "Excuse me." he said and swiftly ran up into the bedroom that held Tifa.

He found the bed empty again, but to his relief Tifa only sat looking out the glass bay window, a blanket loose around her shoulders. This time a strange sort of sadness seemed to emanate from her vague aura, frowning he walked over to her and sat down opposite of her.

"Time for you to wake up Tifa." he said.

-X-

_**"Time for you to wake up Tifa."**_

I heard his words. Like a gentle commanding tone flowing into my ears and into my center core. I didn't like it. In fact, I despised it. My body didn't move at all to his tone, but inside I stirred restlessly. So much unease. I'm comfortable where I am. Go away. This man seemed like a shadow. I don't know who he is in detail, but I feel uncomfortable. I feel like someone is about to pull the rug from underneath my feet.

_**"Come on Tifa. Look at me."**_

I ignored the demand. Irritating. Annoying.

_'What part of go away do you not understand?'_

_**"I understand plenty, but you are no longer in any position to do as you please. Snap the fuck out of it Tifa."**_

He did it again. My blank eyes looked at him, my brown eyes a lifeless expression with a flicker of hate.

_**"I know you're in there Tifa. Now listen up: I'm not here to baby sit you, I'm here to help you."**_

_'I don't need your help.'_

_**"Wrong. How do you think Cloud will say when he sees you in this state?"**_

Cloud. Cloud...he can stay dead. Why did this man bring him up like he was alive. Cloud is dead. He can stay dead. He can leave me to my own demise. How could this man make her so uneasy. Go away. I don't need you. No one needs me.

_"I don't need you. I don't need him. Good bye."_

_**"You're not escaping me that easily."**_

Go away. This is all wrong. There is nothing anyone can do and honestly I want to stay like this. I'm going to recede back into my vast emptiness and I'm going to stay there. The king of hell isn't one to release his dealers that easily and frankly I believe I belong to him now to do as he pleases. The shroud is back upon my shoulders; I'm back waiting for release to come my way. You don't understand how it is to be in love. It's such an insane euphoria and it can kill you easily. Its' killed me, right now I'm waiting for my end.

-X-

Zack growled as he lost touch with her and settled himself comfortably, closing his eyes he dove into deep meditation. For those who never experienced this, it's rather an uncomfortable experience because one becomes unattached to thier body. Unlike me, who has been a spirit for the past four years, I've become accustomed to the unsettling feeling.

Entering her mind was a piece of cake; There's not much to barter my way...or at least I thought until I made my first steps into her crevices. The place was a maze of rock formed trails with the view of opened skies. Skies without stars. I frowned and knew how serious the situation had become. Every mind had stars to guide thier way, but only a dead corpse had no sight of the stars and here he was, in Tifa's. Perplexed, I continued down the path to the main opening. In the middle stood a porcelain stone statue of the woman I was seeking: glasslike body, pale as the winter snows, and eyes...eyes dead as the coals from a dead fire.

**_CHOKE Choke on myself for you_**

**_I spoke on my need for you _**

**_My fire for you _**

**_And now I Choke on my knees for you. _**

My hands reached up to touch the statue and the pathway from the right flared slightly; Nodding, I made my way towards it entering a memory of hers. The skies were dark, the scene dead and lifeless, but a small girl sat humming gazing at the invisible. She looked up at me and smiled,

_"Cloud! You wanted to talk to me?"_

I froze. I'm not Cloud, but I knew I had to replay this memory. How? I don't know.

_"Cloud?"_

"Yes."

_"You wanted me to meet you here...you said you had something important to tell me."_ she said.

"Uh...I forgot."

_"Oh."_ she frowned and sighed.

I sat down next to her and gazed at the buildings that sat in debri around us. This looked vaguely familiar: Nibelheim?

_**I'll be a saviour **_

_**I'll fight these demons till they drop **_

_**I choke on my knees for you **_

_**It's pulling me hard**_

_**Bleeding we are **_

_**But its never too far **_

_**I dont get it**_

_**CHOKE**_

_"Nibelheim. We grew up here..."_

"In this dump?" I asked.

_"That's not nice Cloud. You live here too, you know."_

I raised an eyebrow and went along with it and was caught off gaurd as she spoke up,

_"Tomorrow, Shinra is coming to recruit new cadets to join the army. Are you going too?"_

"Why shouldn't I?" Zack asked in curiosity. Most of his life it was his dream to be a mercenary and to fight against the Wutains and if he hadn't, he would never had met his best friend Sephiroth and his first love: Aerith.

_"You're going to leave me too?"_

**_I cant take this _**

**_I wont make it far_**

**_I cant BREATHE _**

**_I CHOKE _**

**_Choke on myself for you_**

**_I spoke on my need for you _**

**_My fire for you and now_**

**_I CHOKE _**

**_On my knees for you_**

I felt saddened by the question, "No."

_"You always were a bad liar Cloud."_ she spoke up. Caught in a weird confusing state he didn't know what else to say,

"Umm...I'll come back. I'll be strong like Sephiroth and of course I'll see you again." he said. He wasn't lying; he was going to see her as the future had preordained.

_**Falling faster burnt my wings **_

_**Cant get these burning wings to stop **_

_**(whisper)**_

_**I want you**_

_**It's pulling me hard bleeding **_

_**We are but its never too far**_

_"Will you rescue me when I'm in trouble?" _she whispered.

"Uhh...yeah."

_"Promise?"_

_**I dont get it **_

_**CHOKE **_

_**I cant take this**_

_**I wont make it far **_

_**I cant BREATHE I CHOKE**_

_**I cant breathe (repeats)**_

_**I choke on my need for you **_

_**Choke on my life for you **_

_**I choke on my knees for you **_

_**Choke on my life for you**_

_**I dont get it **_

_**CHOKE **_

_**I cant take this**_

_**I wont make it far **_

_**I cant BREATHE I CHOKE**_

"Yeah sure, I promise."

_"Thank you Cloud." _

I coudn't stand it any longer and I stood up walking out of that memory, only slightly looking back at the little girl. Her eyes, despite the lack of light, glistening with unshed tears. I had to get out of there. I came back to the porcelain statue, quickly noticing opposite that another opening flaring slightly. Another memory...

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**Hope you guys enjoyed it this far and yeah sorry for the late update. I know I have a few spelling-grammatical errors, but I will go back and fix them when I get back from work. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, I'm back and guess what?! Christmas came early for this author! I received in the mail yesterday my new dell lap top and it's so gorgeous with its silver shell and flat screen. Ok back to the story oh and by the way, I'm trying to make this story as realistic as possible with the depth of psychological ordeals that we go through ourselves. Have I carried away my imagination in the last chapter, or no? Let me know guys!**

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Chapter 4

Memory Lane

Zack wasn't prepared for the next story in this woman's life. His ears were met with sweet melodic notes of the piano. Each key seemed to weep with grief with each step he took. He found himself on a mahogany glossed stage and a dim spot light enveloping a sole young woman with vibrant but lifeless locks. Her back was towards him as he silently preceded nearer, his blue eyes catching the empty eerie stadium and the silence of the room except for those tear jerking notes.

He stood next to her in view, but she took no notice, too lost in the music that the grand piano poured out into life. Her face was filled with such sorrow that he had to hold himself back from comforting her, instead he listened onward. Suddenly a wrong note chimed and the girl slammed her fists onto the ivory keys.

"_Why mother? Why did you have to leave me here all alone?"_

Zack had then understood the reason for the music she had just played…she wanted to drown her sorrows away…vent. It was all understandable, but the loss of a loved one was no big deal, right? Zack automatically regretted that thought and sat down next to the weeping girl, his hands going right through her when he went to console her.

He should know what it was like to lose a loved one or a friend: Sephiroth was his brother on so many levels that it was a sorrowful loss when he found out about his origins. No matter how many times his ghostly presence tried to stop or comfort the destined murderer, he wept with grief himself. Then he wasn't alone anymore; Aries had joined him in the Life Stream and his fate did not seem so bleak. She took him into the Promised Land only to find out that in the end, Sephiroth never made it back into the Life Stream. Then Sephiroth returned and Cloud goes and commits suicide to be with Aries and here he was knocked back down to being the loner he was destined to be. Or should he say, ordered to be.

_"I miss you Mom. Watch over me…"_

_"Tifa darling, you in here?"_

She whirled around, her hands wiping the tears away deftly as she replied,

_"Yes Papa, I'm coming."_

Zack sat there dumbfounded and wondered what the meaning of this memory was when the girl turned around with pause.

_"I know you're here watching over me. Thank you."_

Eyes wide, he continued sitting there as the girl faded away and the image painted around him dissolved into nothing. Was she saying thank you to her mother, or to him? Shaking his head, he walked out of the dissolving picture around him and found himself back at the core. This time, another path flared to the north and he walked into it without another thought.

-X-

He was in the reactor. In his hands he held masamune…but it wasn't his hands, but Tifa's. His lips seemed to form screams as his body was hurdled up the stairs straight for Sephiroth himself. He didn't want to attack him, but he was just a spectator. Luckily the silver haired man swerved around just in time to block his-her attack. Even though he couldn't control this girl's actions, he felt the searing hot pain as masamunes edge bit into his-her abdomen.

So this was where she had gotten that nasty dark scar he had noticed earlier…did this woman ever have a happy memory?

As quick as he entered that memory he was quickly thrown out and he found himself back in the middle, except the statue was no longer of stone but a woman standing firmly, fists clenched deathly at her side.

"Why are you here?" she demanded with such venom. Taken aback, he stood up,

"I'm here to help you get out of this."

"Have you ever considered the thought that perhaps I want to stay here Cloud?" she spat, "Because of you, my life has become meaningless. You were so selfish. You didn't see that I was there for you from the beginning…it was all about that damn flower girl." She crossed her arms and narrowed her black eyes at him.

"For one, I'm not Cloud. Two, my name is Zack Forrester and whether you like it or not my job is to bring you back to reality."

"I can't see the difference; you are but a shadow in my den. Your spiked hair gave me the impression that Cloud came back…but just leave. Leave me here to my own devices. Can't you people just let me go?" Tifa said with a slight pleading, tired tone.

"Unfortunately, no." he replied.

"Then I'll have to kill you."

"What?!" Zack asked in disbelief, "You can't."

"Then watch me." She hissed and ran for him. He dodged her first kick but was nailed by a slick punch to the chin in which caused him to fall back in surprise. Well this was a first, he rubbed his face and readied himself for the next attack and in fact she showered him with an onslaught of kicks, punches, and somersaults.

"Tifa stop this childish behavior!" Zack ordered.

"Leave then." She said coldly.

"I can't."

"Then that's too bad." She replied sinisterly. Where was all this hate coming from? With each dodge, he began to realize that in truth, she was still alive because she held onto the hate unknowingly.

"I know why you haven't died yet." He said as he caught her foot in mid swing.

"Why." She spat not in question but in anger.

"You still cling to the pain and the hate." Zack said while dropping her foot, which was a bad idea as she took a swing at him.

"Because asshole, it reminds me of the reason as to why I want to not live." Tifa shouted and nailed him on the right side of his jaw.

"If you let it go, the planet will let you go." Zack replied, not caring that he was meant to keep her alive, not tell her how to completely kill herself off.

"Is that all it took?" she questioned as she stood back, letting Zack get back onto his feet.

"Yeah." He said slowly in pain and looked at her, "I can lead you there."

"Do it." She commanded.

"What no please or thank you?" Zack quipped but only received a glare. He led her back to the beginning and paused turning his head slightly towards her,

"I can help you bring him back…"

The statement seemed to stupefy the woman,

"No, that won't be necessary. He's with his…_beloved_." She spat the last word out with such disdain. Nodding Zack sighed and continued leading her back to the beginning, but she didn't need to know that. Suddenly he grabbed her wrist and flared his life force into her,

"I'm sorry Tifa. Orders are orders."

"What are you doing?! Let go of…ahh!" she screamed in pain. She closed her coal colored eyes only to flare them wide open as a wine colored explosion seemed to spread to her irises. Her hair flared back to life, her skin changed back to its natural color, and the stars began to shine through the black hell above their heads.

-X-

Tifa didn't understand what was happening at first till she noticed the light devouring her darkness with such tremendous force. As she widened her eyes in pain, she felt all the emotions of this man and made her remember that she had felt these same feelings before. Pain, sorrow, happiness, love, anger, joy, angst, misery, and hope among many countless others exploded through out her. She then looked at the man holding her weakly now, his strength diminished and the stars peeling the shadows off his visage.

The first things that pierced her soul were the sharp blue of his eyes, then she noticed his dark long hair and finally his face.

"Hello, I'm Zack."

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**I know it's a tad bit short, but this story gets its points across. Like emotions, they come and they go, stating their purpose at that present time. Reviews are always welcome.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm contemplating several ideas to entwine with this story, but I don't know yet. Any ideas? If I like them, I might surprise you with the ones you provide.**

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Chapter 5

Truth Be Told

I didn't want this. I didn't want any of this! I sat at the bay window, my real self forced out into the open only to be confronted with a cocky smile and a deep color of blue.

"You are a very stubborn woman." He began. I only narrowed my eyes and glared only to have my stomach, not growl, but scream like a banshee from hell in hunger. My eyes widened in horror at the sound and wondered why I let this man drag me cruelly out of my demise. She hadn't felt hunger in such a long time and to be honest, her dry tongue and unused taste buds were begging for flavor.

"I'll bring you something to eat and don't think of doing anything stupid." Zack warned as he left the room. Tifa's eye twitched slightly as she continued to glare at the door; a shiver running up her spine, she clutched at the blanket tightly. She noticed how her breath fogged up in front of her every time she exhaled and wondered why she had to be dragged out of her confines.

Back there, she didn't feel the hunger, or cold, or the painful ache of heart. Her heart twisted slightly at the latter and she closed her eyes, trying to hold back unshed tears. No. She wouldn't cry. She couldn't.

Tifa stood up, her bare feet kissing the cold stone floor and she winced at the contact of such ice. She jumped onto the fur rug and made her way over to the dresser; holding the blanket wrapped tightly around her body in her left hand, she opened the first drawer. Her hand quickly ran through shirts until she found a heavy white cotton shirt; she quickly then pulled out the second drawer to grab some red and white sweats along with some socks and undergarments.

It was freezing in this room…didn't Nanaki ever think of central heating? She backed up, quickly falling down onto the bed and placed her outfit on. Still not enough, she walked over to the chest at the edge of the bed to drag out a white sweatshirt with a hood attached.

She sat back for a bit trying to catch her breath. She felt so weak even after her sudden icy brush with death last night and quite frankly, Tifa wished no one had found her and yet…she had to admit she missed this feeling of liveliness.

"I bet you put the guy up to this Aeris." Tifa mumbled angrily with a sigh.

A strange yet familiar universal scent caught the attention of her nose. Sniffing slightly, she stood up trying to decipher the aroma as she made her way toward the door. Familiar yet vague…what could it be?

-X-

Nanaki and an elderly woman were setting up a tray of food to bring up to Tifa's room when Zack came downstairs.

"How is she?" Red inquired sadly. Zack grinned, which made Nanaki hesitate,

"She'll come down on her own soon enough."

"We can't just starve her! I won't let her die." Nanaki exclaimed.

"On contraire my furry red friend, you'd be surprised." The raven haired man replied.

"I highly doubt that Tifa, in the state that she is in, would just get up and go eat on her own accord." The lion said aloud. Suddenly light footsteps padded down the stairs, revealing a heavily clad woman in white cotton wool, her hair swept backwards. The last few steps she stumbled, but Zack was there to right her. Soon they were all sitting down around the long table, Nanaki still frozen to the same spot, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Tifa frowned and stared at the mahogany long table in awkward silence. Attention. Spot light. How she hated it…

"Red…please stop staring at me like that…" Tifa whispered and watched while Nanaki jolted, his mouth beginning to work several silent words, but in the end he only nodded. The woman began to serve them bowls of hot soup and a platter of eggs and bacon. Tifa didn't know where to start and was finished within a matter of minutes when it came to the bowl of chicabo soup and began to start on her plate while Zack and Red just watched in wonder.

"Tifa, after you are done, one of my healers will come at noon to check on you to see if your body has adjusted back to normal temperature level." Nanaki said out loud. Tifa only nodded and continued to eat.

-X-

Zack yawned after he ate his fill, standing up, he walked out the door and into the winter wonderland of Cosmo Canyon. His trek led him to the ledge of a nearby cliff, his blue eyes gazing off into the mid morning sun, partially hidden in the silvery grey clouds. Miniature snow flakes flurried down to the earth and he let out a sigh,

"Can I go home now?" he mumbled out loud. Even though he wore only a dark navy blue turtle neck, and dark trousers, the chill in the air didn't seem to bother him. The mid morning breeze wafted gently through his ebony locks and he looked up at the blue that broke through the clouds. He waited. His patience wearing thin when there was no sign.

"Anytime now! This isn't funny Aeris!" he growled.

_'You're not finished yet Zack.' A feminism voice quipped in aggravation._

"What the hell do you mean?!" Zack exclaimed, his eyes flying wildly from side to side staring at the sky, his hands in sudden flow of angry expression, "I did what you asked me to do! I brought Tifa back, what more do you want from me?!"

_'Bringing Tifa back was only part of the deal, Zack. The other part you have to discover on your own.' _

A pause.

_'Your life was unjustly cut short…it's time you lived a life you were meant to have; starting with Tifa.'_

"Aeris this isn't the deal we made, what's really going on?" Zack growled. The snow flurries seemed to materialize a slender shape and she answered,

_'Cloud's death wasn't a deliberate suicide…he asked to exchange his life in order for you to live yours. He can now protect me here now, and now he feels that he has forgiven himself for your death. This is his way of repayment…of sorts.'_

"Aeris…look what he did to Tifa with his foolishness! She almost died because of that ass. I don't care about living out my life, I was happy on the other side...I was protecting you!"

_'You sound just like Tifa…happy in your hole of loneliness and sorrow, but you can't stay in it. Both of you need to learn how to live a different way then before. I must go now and I will return when your time comes again.' _

"Don't you dare leave me here Aeris! This isn't a game!" Zack shouted loudly causing some quails nesting in a nearby bush to flutter into the sky in fear. His senses were greeted with silence; silence and the sound of falling snow. Growling he turned around and made his way back to Nanaki's lodge, his hair snapping violently behind him.

Above Tifa watched his frame stomp back into the house and she sighed. There was something about him that set her off balance. He seemed so unlike the Zack she met ten years ago back in Nibelheim. He was so full of laughter and jokes back then and now this man seemed so…so much like him: Cloud.

Scoffing at the idea, she turned away and sat on the bed, her chin resting on her knees as she stared out the window once again. The sounds of his heavy footsteps echoed deeply up the stairs and she twitched slightly in agitation. The door opened and silence greeted her as he walked over and sat at the edge of the bed, his face staring at the floor, hidden by his black hair.

"I can't go back." He whispered. Tifa's ears perked up at his quiet voice in curiosity and waited for him to continue, but when he didn't, she asked,

"Go back where?"

"Do you know why I was here in the first place?" Zack replied, started his voice growing rougher with bitterness, "It was because it was my job; because Aeris asked me to save you," Zack's face softened, "Little did I know that this mission was also about me."

"What are you talking about?" Tifa asked in bewilderment, confusion setting in as well.

"Cloud exchanged his life to bring me back and here I thought I came back just to fix his mistake: You." Zack snapped. Now he was standing up looking at her,

"You need to know that he thought forgiveness would be his if he gave up his life for me to be with Aeris, fulfilling his promise of protecting her, and to find peace in giving me back my life that he'd thought he had stolen from me."

Tifa couldn't breathe. The air seemed to cease to exist to her sense of self and she stared at the familiar blue eyes, the information sinking in.

"Then why are you still here? You came to do what you did…go live your life then." She said nonchalantly and looked away. She felt this enormous pain come over her and she couldn't stop the tears that bled from her eyes. She squeezed them shut and bit her lip from crying out a sob.

Zack sighed seeing the damage the truth had done and regretted it immediately,

"Look I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm sorry you didn't get rewarded with the years you spent loving that asshole, but believe me, you'll find the right guy for you."

"What about you?" she asked, changing the subject eagerly her brown hair slipping out of her loose ponytail and falling gently into her face. At that question Zack didn't know,

"I don't know." He whispered his reply.

"Well what were your dreams back then? What did you want to do?" Tifa asked hoping to give him an idea of what to look forward to. Zack thought for a few minutes and ideas suddenly swam into view,

"My parents…I wanted to see them for the holidays while in SOLDIER. Now I want them to know that I'm alive at least." He whispered.

"Well then there you go." Tifa encouraged and then she got a sudden idea, "I'll go with you, that is if you want. I can have Cid fly us out to Goganga and we will both get what we need." She explained. Zack cocked an eyebrow,

"And what will you get out of this?"

"A trip; an adventure…something like that to get me up and out of here. What do you say?"

The raven haired man thought for a moment and he sure wouldn't mind the company, "I don't see why not."

"Then it's settled; I'll have Nanaki call Cid and book us a flight out there." She said as she placed a piece of her hair behind her ear.

-X-

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**I hope some of you enjoyed this chapter and I am open to suggestions. The reason for this fic is so I can get through my writer's block on my other story: Ashes. Though I will write a proper Tifa x Zack storyline in the future, I promise.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey…back again and I have realized that the previous chapter is lacking something. I am actually thinking about rewriting this entire story. I don't know. This is just something to get me out of writer's block anyways, so go on ahead and read.**

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Chapter 6

Drunken Moments

I never expected to be standing here, feeling every breath I take in and exhale from my body, my hands gripping this red throw pillow. I have been in Cosmo Canyon here since last summer and now the weather was on the brink of spring. Zack and Nanaki agreed that we should postpone the trip to Gongaga till mid spring so I could recover from my previous state.

I have to admit it: I hate this. I still hate being here. Why? Because I was content before; Oblivious to the world's plan to stick as many sharp objects into my aching heart and soul. I just couldn't stop thinking about him. Who? Cloud, that's who, I couldn't believe that he gave up his life in exchange to be with Aeris.

_'He gave up his life for Zack too…' _Tifa pouted at that sudden thought. Why couldn't she have a legible reason to loathe the blonde? Why were all his causes all for good, no matter how selfish his past actions were? WHY?

"God Damn you CLOUD!" Tifa growled and threw the pillow against the wall; her eyes watching it bounce off the wall and fall to the floor four feet from where she stood.

"What did the pillow do to ever deserve that?" Zack asked. His eyes twinkled with amusement when he saw her jump slightly at the sound of his voice. The brunette turned back to look out the window, her arms crossed in aggression, resuming her silent chaos of thoughts.

"You know, ever since I've brought you back you have been brooding every single damn day." He dragged on in fact,

"May I ask what about?" he inquired.

Tifa slightly tilted her head toward the direction of his voice, but only rolled her eyes.

"That's all you ever do too; think. Think so much you forget to talk." Zack said, more to himself then to her. Tifa looked at him slightly, the tension in her crossed arms loosened up a bit. She watched as he leaned against the wall near the door way, lost in his own train of thoughts. Memories from her younger teen life traversed into her mind and she noticed how much he had changed from the Zack he was then. Ten years later and he still looked the same, yet different; his hair had lost its spike and instead lay flat, like black shiny metal. His blue eyes were so deep though, with age despite his young appearance.

"Do my eyes deceive me of is Miss. Lockhart checking me out?"

Tifa narrowed her eyes, her lips thinning into a firm line of noticeable aggravation. No…just comparing.

"Comparing me to him?" Zack asked a slight annoyance in his voice. Tifa hated it how he could read her thoughts,

"No. Comparing you to the Zack I knew when I was fifteen." She replied, her voice a cool tone. Zack hesitated; he really didn't expect that reply,

"Oh. I was twenty at the time…"

"Which would make you thirty now?" Tifa stated.

"Twenty nine." He corrected.

"You Wutain?" she continued catching the ex-soldier off guard again. He quirked an eyebrow,

"Not that I know of…well maybe somewhere on my mother's side." He replied. He frowned when she returned to the window, her mind probably pondering every nook and cranny of logical and illogical thought. It annoyed him slightly. It never did before, but now it did: Why? Maybe because she was in the same boat he was; cast out by the ones they loved; destined to live in pain and misery, but he couldn't think that way. What's done was done and all they could do now was to continue onward with their life.

"Do you think you're up for travel?" he asked.

"You could have gone without me you know." The brunette said quietly.

"Well, you wanted to come too, so it was only courtesy to wait." Zack replied and noticed her sadness,

"He never waited for you did he?"

The mere question made her purse her lips into a thin angry line,

"No."

After some pause, Zack spoke up, "You can stop waiting now."

Tifa sighed mentally at his statement; He was right, she could stop…stop and never think or speak of **him** ever again. She had her life before her…why not test the waters and dive in? Tifa paused…where were these line of thoughts coming from? The idea of being free from Cloud's shadow seemed to strike at the chains that held her prisoner to **him**.

"We'll be leaving in the morning then. Get packed." Zack said and he walked out of the room, leaving the fist fighter once again to her own devices.

-X-

Evening time came and Tifa was all packed up, her duffel bag neatly stuffed with clothes. She herself wore jeans and a thick turtle neck white sweater, her upper body bundled in a new black furred coat that Nanaki had gotten her last week. With her arms gloved, feet furnished in black and white thick boots, she grabbed her bags and made her way downstairs. Nanaki sat leisurely around the fire reading a book, his green eye gazing up at the sound of her foot steps.

"Where's Zack?" she asked as she dropped her bags by the couch and settled down next to the red beast.

"He left several hours ago and hasn't returned since, but I believe he's all right." The lion replied. Yawning, he gazed back up at his friend and noticed the settled worry in her eyes; smiling he flicked his tail at her and she smiled.

"I want to apologize for being such a burden." Tifa began as her long fingers caressed the lion's tail.

"Don't." Nanaki interrupted, "You were never a burden; I wanted you to stay here for a while anyways…it's been too quiet before you came."

"But I rarely ever spoke before…" Tifa interrupted.

"No Tifa, you gave me another purpose to protect not only my Village, but to protect you from your own downfall. Believe it or not, from when I met you back in our AVALANCHE days, I could relate to you in many ways. You were there for me many a time, especially when Grandfather passed on into the Lifestream and it was only right to be there for someone I consider my family as well."

Red's words left Tifa speechless and all she could do was embrace the beast, tears piercing her wine colored eyes. Like Nanaki, she too had lost her parents to unfortunate events and this was what linked them together; Orphans; a family together.

"I'll go see where Zack went off to."

"Now Tifa…" Nanaki began.

"Don't worry; I'm only going to look around the village, nothing beyond the boundaries."

Nanaki frowned knowing well that her mind was set, "Be careful then."

-X-

Tifa stepped out into the chilled air; even though spring was at the brink, winter still held Cosmo Canyon in its clutches. Outside, she noticed bundled up people walking in and out of homes, taverns, stores, and coming to visit the grand flame in the center. Voices of merriment greeted her ears as well as shouting from a nearby tavern. The golden light poured warmly out of its oval windows, very inviting; she glanced up at the squeaky sound of the sign representing the tavern, swinging on its hinges.

"Flamed Lion." She mumbled to herself. Without a second thought she walked in only to be greeted with a crowded, smoked room. The floor consisted of shiny wooden cypress, tables cluttered all around with men and women drinking, talking, and laughing. The smell of nicotine and tobacco mingled thick in the air and she wrinkled her nose at the scent. Trying her best to ignore it, she gazed around the room; some looked up at her and some were too oblivious to notice until she heard her name whispered in her ear.

"Tifa."

She swerved around to come face to face with Zack whom was obviously intoxicated just but seeing him use the support beam to hold his frame up. Glancing at the glass he was holding Tifa quickly snatched it away, furious that he would get drunk several hours before their departure.

"Oh come on…don't be a party pooper Tifa." He begged as he tried to get his glass back from the brunette but she swung the drink away from reaching distance.

"No Zack, enough is enough." She declared angrily as she walked over to the bar and handed it back to the understanding bartender behind it.

"Give that back Tifa." Zack demanded angrily as he swayed over to her only to have her hold him back from her with her hand.

"Don't." she challenged. Zack narrowed his blue eyes into angry slits and pushed the girl out of the way to look at the bartender,

"Give me another drink." He demanded as he slammed Gil on the mahogany surface.

"He's cut off." Tifa interrupted as she tried to pry the man away from the bar.

"Who are you to say if I'm cut off or not!" he roared angrily and pushed her back. The majority of the crowd became silent, murmuring amongst themselves, their eyes watching intently on the couple.

"I'm returning the favor, now shut up because we're leaving." She stated.

"No we're not." Zack slurred slightly with aggravation.

"I don't have time for this." Tifa said and grabbed his arm and began to drag him towards the door. Zack had a different idea and threw her hand away causing her to stumble and fall onto the floor.

"Serves you right woman." Zack laughed and began to turn away when Tifa grabbed him by the shoulder while grabbing his arm and flipping him onto his back. He laid there dazed at what had just happened only to find the brunette's face glaring down at him,

"Don't test me Zachary." She said through gritted teeth. She pulled him up and out of the tavern leaving an amused crowd.

The walk back to the abode was a silent one, Tifa a few steps in front of Zach and he trailing behind staring at the melting snow and dirt below it. He didn't notice when Tifa stopped and he walked into her making them both fall to the ground. Even in his drunken stupor, the woman groaning below him caught his immediate attention. The way her hair fanned out, mixing with the white of the snow and then…her reddish brown eyes fluttering open looking up into his with confusion. Realization set in,

"Can you get off of me?"

Zack nodded, but he slowly stood up still staring at her as she brushed the snow off her jacket and out of her hair. She looked up at him with angry confusion and it was then she paused. He couldn't hold his stomach any longer and he turned to vomit his alcohol onto the earth.

Tifa cringed as she watched him empty his stomach out onto the patches of the snow; the putrid smell greeting her nostrils. Shaking her head she walked over and helped him up when he finished. He leaned on her heavily causing her to grunt with each step she took toward Nanaki's home.

As they walked in, the red lion greeted them somberly shaking his head when he saw Zack leaning on Tifa for support. Quietly they both made it up the stairs and into the room that Tifa shared with Zack. Throughout the past weeks, he spent his nights on the couch while she slept on the bed. Tonight though, Zack would take the bed seeing as he was incapable of anything at the moment.

Tifa threw the six foot man onto the divan and pulled her jacket off. She then began the chore of taking his wet boots off along with his pants and clothes. She left him in his blue boxers and was covering him up when he snapped his hand out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into bed with him.

Shocked she struggled under his vice grip but to no avail; he had her in a strong embrace and his face in her neck. With her left hand she managed to pull the covers over both of them in defeat and wriggled knowing that tonight was going to be a long night.

"Aeris…" he mumbled in his drunken sleep. Tifa laid there with her eyes wide open in shock. Why has it always been about Aeris?

Tifa Lockhart cried herself silently to sleep that night slightly aware of the man's beating heart against her back. Life was unfair.

-X-

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**And? What do you think about this chapter? I think I pulled off the ending all right…sort of a subtle cliffhanger for all of you out there. I have the next chapter ready, but I won't post it until I get some honest opinions or suggestions and even praise; whether it's negative or positive.**


	7. Chapter 7

I'm glad everyone liked the subtle twist on the previous chapter. Honestly I'm making up this story as I go and I didn't even expect the Aries part myself. Enjoy this chapter though.

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Chapter 7

Home

I felt a warm body against my own skin and the fragrance that roused me from slumber was of fresh rain…why not the fragrance of flowers though? I didn't open my eyes; I wanted to relish the feel and the senses that wafted throughout my system. My arms strengthened their hold on this body only to be awarded with the sound of a feminine groan. My eyes opened to find Tifa Lockhart sleeping blissfully in my arms, in her bed.

What happened last night? Ahh yes, I went to a tavern to enjoy myself and I got too carried away with the beverages. Then Tifa came…then I puked outside. Oh man, not a very charming aspect of me I suppose. Question is: How did Lockhart and I end up in bed together?

He looked at his partially clothed body to hers, which he might add was fully clothed. Guess nothing happened then. He frowned. Why did that slightly disappoint him? He looked back down at her face; her eyes closed and laced with dark full lashes and the most pout lips any other woman would die to have. He smirked, she was the very image of the ideal type of woman many females out there strived to look like. To think she wanted to throw all this away for some chocobo head.

He leaned closer to look at her, his black hair falling past his shoulders and suddenly she slowly opened her eyes.

-X-

I woke from sleep and I was greeted with a pair of intense cerulean eyes shrouded by bits and pieces of ebony silk. Before anything, I couldn't help but observe that he had shattered fragments of green around his iris and then it fanned out into a brilliant ocean blue. With Cloud, he had a solid blue; so unnatural, but here they were real.

"Yes?" she whispered.

"Nothing." He answered as he continued to stare. He leaned down closer to her and Tifa held her breath, her mind barely registering what was about to happen…

"All rightcha f&$#ing kids! Let's get this show on the ro… Holy…" Cid gaped, cigarette falling from his mouth to the floor, his light blue eyes widening in awkward surprise.

"I came at a bad time…I'll give ya kids some time to yourselves." With that said the pilot exited quickly.

"Cid wait!" Tifa exclaimed as she scrambled out of Zack's grip and ran for the hallway. Zack lay there wondering what the hell was wrong with him and why the hell did Cid have to interrupt him. Why did it even bother him! What was he doing?! He flopped back onto his back and stared at the ceiling. The bay window quivered playfully from the outside wind and Zack glared knowing that this was all her doing. AERIS! Damn you to hell, he cursed silently.

-X-

Several hours later everyone was on board the Sierra headed towards Gongaga. Tifa stayed on the Captains deck where she watched the world zoom by fiercely below her. Billows of clouds collided into the airship, but they were harmless to the impeccable Sierra; Cid's cursed orders were flown left and right to his crew as they bustled at his every command making her smirk and think of the old days.

A sudden weight was placed on her left shoulder but what caught her off guard was the deep masculine voice,

"Thinking of me?"

"No."

Zack stepped back,

"You're no fun Tifa." He said with a sour note.

"Mhmm." She grunted in acknowledgement. Zack cocked his head sideways and stared at her frowning once again for the millionth time that day. What was so different today about her that he couldn't figure out from the days before?

-X-

A two day flight brought the group to the coastal edges of Gongaga. The jungles seemed to jump out with such lush colors of green; Tifa couldn't help but stare in awe. The native flowers that bloomed abundantly as they made their way out of the airship port mingled thickly with the fresh but humid thick air.

The small village though, had expanded into a bustling town…city to be exact. Once gravel pathways grew into leveled black roads of asphalt. The homes themselves were rebuilt into sturdier foundations of cement, brick, and siding, while several tall buildings made the center of the town.

Tifa watched a Zack stared in amazement, or so she believed as he rushed forward down the streets like a child. The natives were dark skinned from the humid hot climate yet the majority had dark hair while every other individual had lighter shade of browns and blondes. Children and dogs ran in the streets, while the doors to shops and taverns kept swinging open and close with life.

"All right ya two, I'll be refueling the Shera so I'll come lookin' for you two in a couple hours." Cid said as he searched his blue pockets for a single cigarette. Tifa nodded and followed the dark haired man up the main street. The weather was too humid but she sort of enjoyed it in contrast to the cold winter in Cosmo Canyon. Then again her time spent there was everything but warm…

Turning her hands into her jean shorts and staring solemnly at the ground her wine eyes caught a glimpse of blue run farther up ahead of her. Zack seemed to have a feint smile upon his rugged features and he paused waiting for her to catch up.

"It's been so long since I have been back." He admitted. She cocked her head to the side,

"I thought you could have visited this place while you were on the other side." She said.

"I couldn't…I didn't want to face them…or see the pain on their faces knowing that their son wasn't coming back to them." He said sadly. Tifa merely nodded in understanding as she gazed back down onto the sidewalk.

"Come on." Zack spoke up as he grabbed her hand and dragged her up one street over. They walked for blocks, his hand holding hers and she couldn't help but follow mutely. The sounds of life and chit chat bustling around town faded and all she could hear was her own heart beat and the touch of his hand embracing her own; Dumbstruck yet in awe.

Her dark raven brown locks escaped her loose hair tie but she paid no mind until they came to a stop before a white ivory house: 1209 Riverdale Drive. That's what his parent's names were posted under when he had grabbed a local phone book.

She studied the man next to her as he seemed to hesitate, his hand still clasped around hers unknowingly. Slightly smiling, she took the lead and pulled him up the cobble stone path to the door. Her frail nimble finger pushed the doorbell on the right side granting her the sound of a wind chime echoing within. Zack shuffled nervously as sweat beaded upon his brow. With his other hand he wiped away a few black strands out of his face and Tifa couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

He hadn't seen his family in over a decade and here he was probably about to give one of his folks a heart attack.

"Relax." She said quietly and he sighed but tensed up when they both heard footsteps coming up to the door from inside. Just as the door opened, Zack escaped Tifa's hand and moved away to the side so whoever opened wouldn't see him.

Tifa looked up in surprise at him and then at the now opened door. A man about the same height as Zack but with graying black hair skin tamed dark by the sun's rays.

"Can I help you?" his deep voice spoke up. Feeling slightly uncomfortable she spoke up,

"Hello, my name is Tifa…are you Mr. Forrester?" The older man nodded,

"Yes I am." He replied expecting more from her as he stepped out on the porch.

"Well you see…" she began but the mans eyes were not on her anymore but at the boy staring sheepishly back at him with a grin.

"Hi Dad."

-X-

Tifa sat in the living room, her body sitting on the edge of a brown leather sofa. Her eyes studied the large room: three white walls and one red raspberry colored wall with a flagstone fireplace. The mantel adorned with pictures old and new and before her sat a light colored wood table with a glass bowl with a few local Goganga native flowers.

Next to her sat Zack, his body laying sprawled out lazily vertically on the couch. Currently his hand was holding his face where a black and blue bruise was forming beautifully. She pursed her lips as he groaned in slight pain,

"That was unexpected." He mumbled.

"I wasn't surprised." She muttered only to be pushed off the couch with his foot.

"Hey!" she cried out but quieted down when Zack's father came back into the room.

The stocky man sat down in the opposite recliner and stared at his son with a dour look. His shadowy but weary blue eyes seemed to scrutinize Zack with such harshness only to soften. He leaned back in the chair and stared silently while Tifa managed to crawl her butt slowly back onto the sofa. Zack on the other hand winced as he looked at the floor in guilt.

"So…" his father began, "You were mia for seven years and now you're here. Alive. What happened?" The question was more a demanding statement then mere curiosity and Zack twitched but looked back at his father.

"I was injured during a mission." He replied quietly.

"And all this time Shinra Inc. or you couldn't notify us about your whereabouts?" The older man snapped slightly. Tifa couldn't help but notice how similar those two looked: both tall with the same lean body except his father's hair was a lighter color due to the gray that speckled his shorter hair. To say the least watching Zack's discomfort was quite amusing and she couldn't help but swallow a few chuckles as the minutes unfolded.

"I was in a coma…" Zack said as he looked away his blue eyes laced in sadness, "I don't know why you and mom weren't informed, but there was no guarantee that I would have come back."

"But you have." His father added.

"Where's mom?" Zack questioned his eyes hopeful.

"She's down in the square at the office center. She'll be home later on. I suggest that you and your friend here stay the night before you leave, unless you plan to stay for good?" he asked.

"I don't know Dad, but I plan to stay here a while."

That answer enough seemed to satisfy the older man for now and he nodded before turning towards Tifa who was staring at the pictures on the mantel.

"So how do you know my son, Miss?"

Tifa snapped her eyes back at Mr. Forrester at the sudden question but she managed to smile slightly,

"We know each other through mutual friends Sir." She replied. Zack's father looked back and forth between the two,

"Are you two…" he began, his finger making quick movements from left to right, "…together?"

"Oh no!" Tifa spoke up and blushed slightly, "We…"

"We're engaged!" Zack chirped with a smile, the laugh lines around his eyes creasing in merriment. Tifa's jaw dropped at that moment and she became deathly pale. Her thought process seemed to come to a complete stop: Her ending her life earlier seemed like a better idea more then ever now.

-X-

Zack Forrester turned the knob on the faucet and washed his calloused hands slowly glancing up and wincing as a new bruise was forming on his right cheek right below a blow his father dealt him earlier. Courtesy of one red eyed brunette of course. Grim with thought he wondered why the humor always got him into the worst of situations. He dried his hands on the blue towel that rested on the right side of the sink and sighed.

He glanced out the window when he walked out of his bathroom to be greeted by darkness. Tifa and he had been easily persuaded to spend the night at his parent's home after being overfed by his mother who had cried when she laid eyes on him.

What else could one expect from a reunion of sorts? A big happy sappy moment? Well it was to a certain extent but then he just concluded that his family was partially abusive when it came to love. His own mother had smacked him upside the head during dinner.

Though his thoughts were on the brunette because all of this wasn't about him but her. What thoughts or ideas plagued her mind? Were there any at all? Sighing he walked out of his room and into the hallway where another door glared at him on the opposite end.

Without even knocking he walked into Tifa's temporary room to find it in darkness. Only the moonlight illuminated the shrouded room but at the window sat a woman deep in thought.

I heard him come in but it didn't register. His presence seemed unimportant to me as my mind flickered among the many turns and angles in my labyrinth, my mind. My eyes stared out into the night but my vision was distorted as I spaced out thinking on idle fragments of thought.

"I'm leaving." She stated enough for Zack to hear who now stood behind her.

"Why."

"I don't belong here. This is your story…all of this here." She answered firmly.

"Then I'm coming with you." Zack replied.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want you anywhere near me." She replied a bit venomously. Zack's perfect lips frowned as he looked at her before speaking but instead admired how the silver light angled gracefully on her face and hair

"You're a bad liar." He said earning him a twitch, "You need me."

"I was better off without you." She quipped.

"Dead? Is that what you really wanted…I mean you can be so stupid!" Zack snapped.

"I have no meaning Zack…I don't have an urge for anything. There are no more outlets or chances. No drive and no ambition. No life. I just don't feel anything. You took away my hatred and you left me living on empty, while in my depraved mentality I could have faded away..." Tifa's head snapped back after a hand was dealt across her face.

Her head stayed frozen at the harsh angle and her face had shock etched in it, but no sooner had he smacked her across the face his lips were on hers, his tongue laced with her own.

-X-

* * *

So it's been a very LONG time since I updated. The only way I can write is if I am in the same disposition that Tifa in this story is. Her pain and feeling is what I feel and how I see things. So yeah…I was happy for a bit and now I'm morbid thanks to numerous amount of hell which would probably take up the next couple chapters.

I know this story seems twisted and quite dreary on some accounts entwined with slight humor, but I'm making this up as I go along.

I want you readers to feel the pain, the same sense as my twisted mind does. I want you all to feel at least some small sense of familiar territory and say: "Hey...I know how that feels…"

Seeing as I have been down in the dumps, stay tuned for more chapters. Heh.


	8. Chapter 8

Long time eh? Yeah I believe so. I would like to say thank you to everyone who have placed this story as their favorite and who have placed me on author alert. Make me happy to know that there are people out there reading my story.

* * *

Chapter 8

Meaning to Life

You would have never thought how foreign his lips upon mine felt. It was so unreal and yet I felt like Jenova herself succumbing to an earthly experience. Needless to say that kiss lead to hands upon skin, heat seemed to emanate from out of nowhere in this cold room. His hands ripped gently through my hair and cradled my head to a gentle angle as his tongue massaged my own. The pain on my cheek seemed to fade suddenly compared to the furious blush on my cheeks but I couldn't help it. So help me Gaia…I couldn't help the way my eyes closed instinctively and a sigh escaped my throat which seemed to further fuel his kisses.

We broke apart, his forehead against my own as we gasped for sweet air…his kisses sweeter though. I noticed how soft his usually black spiky hair felt…he must have gotten out of the shower because they lay straight and limp against his face and a little bit past his jaw line. Nothing about him said that he was frightened but at ease with every previous action; our breathing settling into a more calm state.

It was my touch that furthered things though…my pale fingers tracing that exact jaw line with my nail. I noticed how his body tensed and relaxed considerably as my finger traced down his neck. His deep blues laced in thick eyelashes slowly lowered their sight from my face and down my neck. It seemed like there were no need for words as he gently grabbed and picked me up, gently placing me on the cool bed.

His muscular yet lean body towered over me, his eyes now a dark violet blue due to the moonlight seemed to pierce my own yet again but I saw a hunger there in them.

He hungered for me…something no man had ever generated in such regard before. Sure during my bartending years I had every male customer who entered my business long for me but not like this. Never like this. This was…different.

His head bent down to the crook of my neck as his lips left a trail of kisses and his fingertips massaged the other side of my neck in earnest. It didn't help matters seeing as I wore a long t-shirt and shorts his mother had leant me for the night. He but wore only his sweat pants but I felt his body press down slowly against mine and I couldn't help but shudder.

Every muscle worked in perfect order as his arms caressed my body, his butterfly kisses were driving me insane and I couldn't help it. I never knew I could be so eager! The realization of this incredible thirst in me sent me on a roller coaster of emotions as I took every thing he threw at me. I think this is where I lost my sanity though…his lips trailed down my stomach and he glanced up at me, seemingly asking me if it was okay. If it wasn't okay, do you think I would have let you get this far?! My mind was screaming profanities as my eyes begged for more. That's all he needed really as he smiled and continued onward.

Somewhere among the simple pleasures I broke…I snapped and all hell broke loose. Zack didn't know what hit him.

-X-

I didn't expect any of this…I honestly didn't. She looked so frail and broken…I never believed that such a power resided in her. It seemed she couldn't handle the pleasure as she pulled me by the hair up, painfully but I was too consumed in the moment of surprise. Her wine depths burned. The fire I remembered from long ago seemed to erupt as she plunged her tongue into my mouth into a soft yet passionate kiss. I was surprised to find myself moaning as I found myself dumbfounded. This was a piece of Tifa resurfacing that was lost for over a decade and here it was in all its fine glory.

I don't even remember how we both lost all our clothes but from the corner of my eyes I saw them lay strewn across the bedroom. Our bodies had covered slightly in a glistening sweat and she never looked so ethereal.

I broke the kiss and moved back a little, hoping for precious air but wanting her lips more. Her eyes were closed, strands of hair clinging haplessly against her silhouette and I had to admire her all the more. Next thing I knew she was on all fours coming nearer and to be honest I was afraid slightly, but I would never admit such feeling. I would have chosen Sephiroth's predatory glare over her ravenous stare, but I liked it.

I felt like I was sixteen again, new at every touch and feeling. She made me feel insecure and yet comfortable. Who could ever make you feel that way? Not many I can tell you that right off the bat.

I sighed as she kissed me again, gentler but the eager was waiting behind her approach and I caved in. My hand pressed against her side drawing her closer to my own body and we forgot that reality existed that night. No one ever made me feel the way I did tonight…not even Aeris.

-X-

Mrs. Fair woke up to a bright morning as she made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She found her son, Zack already sitting at the dining room table gazing out the bay window lost in thought. She smiled calmly and knew she was right all along. He had indeed been alive. Where her husband had given up hope and succumbed to despair, she had known better. It was a mother's intuition and she had prayed every day for the past eight oh so years for her son's return.

Smiling, she entered the room her blue robe wrapped tightly around her,

"Penny for your thoughts my son?"

Zack jumped slightly at her and smiled slightly, "Nothing really. Just thinking…"

"About the lovely girl upstairs?" she inquired with a wry smile. She walked around to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee and looked up at him to continue.

"Well…yeah in a way." Zack started with unease. His mother always seemed to know what was on his mind.

"Zack, you re a grown man and I'll be honest…you weren't exactly quiet last night." She stated in a nonchalant way. Zack shocked face seemed to drain from color and suddenly fill with a heated red blush in embarrassment but a knowing smile began to grow the corner of his lips.

"This…err Tifa and I …we never…I mean we never did that before and something happened last night and I don't know how to explain it." Zack stuttered. He watched his mom pour two cups of coffee and waited for her to speak up. Mrs. Fair flipped her pony tail over her shoulder as she made her way over to the table and placed the cup down in front of her son.

"Question is though, what's your real story? How did you two meet?"

"Well I met her almost ten years ago in Nibelheim on a mission to check out the reactor up in Mt. Nibel. She was our guide and yeah…she was only fifteen back then but she looked way mature beyond her years. We were supposed to stay there for three days and the first two days we got to know each other on friendly terms. She was so full of fire back then and last night…last night I saw it resurface for the first time in like forever."

Zack was running out of words when he looked up at his mother's twinkling blue eyes.

"So you had a crush on her?" she said as she sipped her mug.

"Well I didn't know it at the time back then and last year when I first err stumbled upon her she was real mess. I mean mom she was so broken…" Zack trailed off, his eyes yet again looking out the window and Mrs. Fair frowned.

"And?" she prodded.

"Well I helped her get better. I just never knew she could make me feel like I do now. It's weird you know?" He said as he looked for a confirmation from his mom.

"Not even the young woman you wrote about so long ago…what was her name, Aeris?"

"No…Aeris was a special person to me, but with Tifa its way different; totally unexpected and yet much more." Zack started to laugh, "I must sound like a real idiot, huh?"

His mother stood up and smiled, "No. You just sound like a man who just fell in love." With that his other walked back into the kitchen and he sat dazed at her words.

Had he fallen in love? Last night could have meant anything but when he woke up this morning to find the brunette snuggled warmly against him he never felt so…happy.

Blue eyes widened in shock as he stared straight ahead in bewilderment.

I made my way downstairs and I noticed Zack's mother bustling in the kitchen. I had woken up to find the bedside next to me empty, but then again this was Zack. He was known to be a lover and what could she expect after something like last night? An instant relationship or an immediate boyfriend? No. Life wasn't that easy…it never was.

"Good morning." I said. Mrs. Fair turned around to me with a smile and walked up to me giving me a warm hug.

"Morning Tifa, I hope you slept well last night?" She asked and I couldn't help but blush and nod.

"Good, breakfast should be ready soon, so go on into the dining room and make yourself comfortable. Tifa nodded and did as instructed only to find a Zack, head facing the table, head in his hands. She sat down and arched an eyebrow at the raven haired man,

"Something the matter?"

Zack glanced up at her and just stared and stared until Tifa twitched slightly in unease.

"Umm…you're staring." She added. Zack glanced around the room and saw his mother's figure vanish up the stairs.

"Sorry…"

"Umm…it's okay." She replied instantly.

"Well Tifa…umm…about last night…" he began but Tifa cut him off.

"It's okay…I forgive you for slapping me." Tifa said quickly and looked away nervously looking for a distraction. She knew it…

"No what I mean is…" Tifa's eyes widened slightly, he meant what happened after…

"It's okay Zack. I mean it happened okay?" She spoke up, not giving him a chance and hoping to escape the upcoming rejection. She wasn't ready for that…again.

"I know I'm not her and all and I didn't expect anything more out of last night." Did she? No. She was lying to herself if she thought she didn't want last night to happen again.

"So don't worry about it because last night was the last and umm…yeah I…I don't Know Zack." Tifa stammered and stood up, "Cid's probably waiting on a phone call so I'll go call him to pick me up."

"You?"

"Yeah, you're staying here with your parent's of course." Tifa said.

"Well for a little bit, but…"

"Zack!" his father called and as he looked back, "I still have to talk to you so wait till I get back." Tifa frowned slightly and looked at the floor as the ebony haired man walked out of the room.

Tifa had just gotten off the phone with Cid, whom was more then unhappy to not have heard from her yesterday. Zack's mother walked by her unopened door and paused only to backtrack to where the brunette sat packing her bag.

"Dear is something the matter?" Tifa looked up at the older woman and smiled slightly,

"Nothings the matter, I'm just leaving with one of my friends, Cid. He flew Zack and I here to come find you and well, he's waiting. Kind of short on time so I'm leaving now before he gets too angry with me."

"Oh I see, and is Zack going with you too? Does he know?" she asked as she looked out the window.

"No." Tifa replied and after some thought she continued, "Mrs. Fair I have to thank you for letting me stay the night but I have to get going." With a quick hug she hurried down the stairs and out the door. Mrs. Fair followed only to lean against the counter watching the brunette vanish down the street from her bay window.

-X-

Zack had just finished helping his father unload some crates behind the house when he saw his mother come out with a pitcher of pink lemonade and three glasses.

"We're all done here." Zack said with a smile as he reached for a glass. His father leaned against one of the crates and drank his fair share.

"So you spoke with Tifa this morning about your growing feelings for her, right?" Mrs. Fair asked as she looked across the yard in contemplation.

"No, not yet but I will once I get inside." He replied running a sweaty hand through his hair.

"Well you better hurry up before you're too late, she left about ten minutes ago saying how Cid gets angry if she keeps him waiting." She answered.

"What?!" he almost choked as he sprinted through the back door, through the house and out the front door.

She left without a goodbye? Without giving him a chance to talk about last night?! Was she and idiot? No…she said she could never be her? Who?

Then it dawned on him…Aerith. No wonder she never gave him a chance to talk…she feared rejection and the fact that she might be compared once again to the flower girl. What was he thinking? Was it that obvious? Were his actions last night not clear enough for the brunette at all?

"I'm an idiot!" Zack muttered as he rushed down his street towards the outskirts of town. There it was: The Sierra in all its glory in the midday sun as the light burst forth brightly.

He had just managed to reach the departure ramp when he found Cid with another man looking at a list of cargo coming along.

"Well I'll be damned, if it isn't lil ol' Zackie. What brings ya here? Thought you were stayin'? Cid asked as he signed on the dotted line of the form. He shot a glare at the young man and watched him scurry off only to be grabbed by the collar of his shirt and redirected at Zack.

"Where is she Cid? Where's Tifa?!" he demanded with a pleading undertone. Cid cocked an eyebrow and glanced back at the Sierra,

"She's already inside, but what's this all about?" Cid demanded but got no answer as the ex soldier made a beeline for the ramp and vanished within seconds. Grumbling, the pilot looked back at the cargo being loaded and headed up into the ship to see what the fuss was all about.

-X-

Tifa had just finished placing her bags away as she walked out of her cabin. The trek down to the outside air deck was a short trip. She was greeted by the warm breeze of Goganga and warm sunshine and she smiled slightly. She made her way to the railing and looked below to find small dots of people bustling back and forth.

"Tifa!" someone shouted behind her. She whipped around in surprise to find someone running towards her. He stopped in front of her and bent over heaving heavily, gasping for air.

Tifa stood dumbstruck, her eyes wide with surprise and a hint of mirth before she spoke up,

"Zack why are you here?" she asked nervously. Zack straightened up and glared at her and noticed how she took a step back against the railing,

"You left without a Goodbye! Without a word at all Tifa! How can you stand here asking me why I came! Are you that stupid?!" He yelled his eyes full of anger.

"I beg your pardon…?" She asked in an appalled tone.

"NO. Tifa you never gave me a damn chance to tell you anything this morning and…" He was cut off.

"I knew what you were going to say Zack…" she began.

"Oh really now? So now you have developed telepathy and can read my mind and all?" he spat with sarcasm. Tifa looked down at the golden colored deck of Sierra; the people who were enjoying their afternoon had backed away from the yelling couple and watched silently. Only the gulls above dared make any noise along with the breeze.

"You are the dumbest woman I have ever had the privilege of falling in love with." Zack said now with a bit more calm. Tifa looked up at him with shock as he suddenly leaned in for a deep kiss.

Cid had just made it on the deck when he saw the two engaged in a deep kiss. A part of him was surprised yet happy for the woman he had dubbed family. Lighting up a cigarette hoping his old lady wouldn't kill him, he shouted over to them,

"Either you two get a room or I'll kick ya off my f$&'in ship!" he grumbled and walked back through the doors that lead to the pilots cabin.

Tifa and Zack had broken apart and looked at the back of the retreating pilot and Zack grinned.

"Why?" she spoke up, her arms nervously still laying on his chest as she looked left and right in bafflement.

"Because I love you Tifa. That's why I ran all the way down here and because I don't want you to leave without me at your side. There is so much I have learned about you…so much I have seen from so many years ago when we first met."

"But Aeris…"

"She's in a happier place…this," he stated as he moved his arms out in expression, "Was all her doing. Bringing me back to life, saving you from using yours, and teaching us both what we both missed out of life and what we both needed."

"But…"

"Just shut up already and accept the facts Tifa. I know you have the same feelings as I do for you…that's what I've been trying to tell you this morning."

Tifa looked away in shame. He was right, she did brush him off without a chance to say anything that morning and it was rude of her.

"I'm scared though…" she said quietly. Zack smiled and pulled her into an embrace,

"Don't be. I'm scared too but I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I'll save you from your fears and make you happy. Give me that chance Tifa please." Zack pleaded as he looked down at her. He moved her chin up so she was looking into his eyes and found tears welling up but a smile broke out.

"That's my girl." He said and they embraced once more. Sierra came to life and the breeze became a strong wind as they launched off into the clear blue sky.

-X-

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**To all my readers:**

**Thank you all for your support and encouragement. This story was based mainly through my eyes and I used Tifa as a puppet to channel my emotions at that present time.**

**Now I know the title seems more sinister and the majority of you all were expecting some sinister plot or twist, but as of late my life which included the matters of the heart turned out good. I'm now in a healthy relationship and yes, I feel like I'm learning everything all over again: How to feel, how to react to certain situations, dealing with my own demons of my dark personal past and what not.**

**Hence the reason why I relate myself to Tifa; she is a woman who in appearances to all our gamers is the epitome of seduction, yet I saw her for who she really was in the game: A fighter in all of life's trials.**

**Yes I admire and idol Tifa for her strength and optimism in keeping her weird family together and keeping Cloud sane by knowing he had someone to lean on. A best friend and yet even though you could see the love for him in her actions and eyes, she was a woman truly in love by willing to let Cloud choose whoever made him happiest.**

**Honestly I never figured that Tifa and Cloud were meant to be together. Perhaps I just have a twisted sense of perception.**

**As for why I chose Tifa to be paired up with Zack…well we rarely see this pairing and I'm always up for something diff. Not mainstream like many writers these days novelize about. The concept is original in my opinion.**

**Also I have been tinkering with the idea of a sequel to this short story and it would be mainly revolved around the arduous trials of a relationship yet again using these two characters. If you guys want me to dwell into that idea, please let me know.**

**Your criticism, support, encouragement, ideas, and advice are more then welcome. I enjoy other points of view and in fact if there are any relationship issues that many of you have gone through share them with me and I'll include that in the sequel.**

**Why should the author have all the fun?**

**Once again, A BIG thank you to everyone!**


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